St Michael's Church

St Michael's Parish Church from the South
East

Churches dedicated to St Michael have traditionally
been placed on high ground and St Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow, is no
exception. Built on the rise between the town of
Linlithgow and Linlithgow Loch, anywhere
else this large church would command instant attention over a wide area. But
here it shares the stage with its larger neighbour,
Linlithgow Palace, which lies
immediately to its north.

There was probably a church on this site from a very early date.
The first documentary evidence dates back to 1138 when the the church was
amongst the properties gifted to St Andrews Cathedral by
David I.

On 22 May 1242 the Church of St Michael of Linlithgow was
reconsecrated by the Bishop of St Andrews, but it was only to serve for a
further 60 years. In 1301 Edward I's English troops
fortified the area as their main base in central Scotland and the church became
a storehouse.

After the Battle of
Bannockburn in 1314 the English departed, leaving St Michael's badly in
need of the repairs that followed. But worse was to come. In 1424 an English
attack led to the burning down of most of the town of
Linlithgow as well as the royal manor
house that predated the palace,
and St Michael's Church itself.

The church was rebuilt over the 115 years that followed, with
support from James I
through James V who, over
the same period, were building the neighbouring
Linlithgow Palace. Completion of
the new St Michael's was celebrated in 1540, though parts of the church came
into use as they were finished.

When James IV
was praying in the partially completed church in 1513 he was visited by a
mysterious spirit who warned him not to go to war against the English. This may
have been a put-up job by his wife
Margaret Tudor, sister of
Henry VIII of England:
but he should have listened. Had he done so the mad adventure that culminated
in the disaster at the Battle of
Flodden, and his death, might have been averted.

St Michael's had been completed for just 19 years when in 1559 the
Protestant Lords of the Congregation forcibly removed all signs of "popishness"
from the church, smashing the many beautiful statues adorning its exterior and
the altars within. Only the statue of St Michael, forming part of the structure
at the south west corner of the nave, survived, and it was defaced. The
Reformation had arrived
in Linlithgow.

Over the following centuries various alterations were made to the
church to meet the changing needs of its congregation. In the years following
1808 interior remodelling damaged parts of the fabric and resulted in a church
in which, when it reopened in 1813, seats were only available to those able to
pay for them.

In 1820 it became clear that the magnificent stone crown that had
topped off the tower for 400 years was in danger of collapse, and the following
year it was removed. In 1894 work began to restore the church to its condition
prior to the 1808 work. The church was rededicated on 24 October 1896.

More recent changes have included the 1977 enlargement of the organ
installed in 1877. And in 1992 the 750th anniversary of the church was
celebrated with the installation of a new stained glass window in St
Katherine's Aisle by Crear McCartney.

But the most striking change was the addition in 1964 of a crown to
replace the one removed in 1821. This needed to be light to avoid overloading
the tower, and the 58ft high crown you see today is made of anodised aluminium.

It would be easy for St Michael's Church to be overwhelmed by its
massive and much better known neighbour,
Linlithgow Palace. The fact that
this has not happened owes much to the quality of work and vision of those
responsible for its rebuilding in the 115 years to 1540: and the efforts of
those since 1894 to remedy some of what was done to the church from 1559 to
1813.